Featuring: TINA CHEN, Product Design, Slack; DAKOTA SMITH, Growth and Business, Hopper; LISA PIKE SHEEHY, VP of Environmental Activism, Patagonia
Moderated by: ERIC SCHURENBERG, CEO, Mansueto Ventures

 

Fast Company’s annual Most Innovative Companies lists honor leading enterprises and rising newcomers that exemplify the best in business and innovation. In this session that will kick off the eighth-annual Fast Company Grill, leaders from 2018 MIC honoree companies—Slack, Hopper, and Patagonia—will share their pioneering roadmaps for the future of creative commerce.

PRESENTED BY TICKETMASTER
Featuring: GREG ECONOMOU, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sports, Ticketmaster, North America; SHARON OTTERMAN, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, The Madison Square Garden Company; CHRIS GALLAGHER, Chief Revenue Officer, Orlando City SC 

 

The way we experience and consume culture has changed dramatically, forcing brands to rethink how they develop and maintain relationships with customers. This evolution is especially profound in live entertainment. Sports teams, musicians, and artists, as well as ticket companies and venues are rethinking every aspect of their interactions with fans, thanks to a wave of new technology. Join Ticketmaster's Greg Economou and other industry experts in a conversation about the modern-day transformation of an industry that dates back to ancient Greece and the impact on fans and brands alike.

Featuring: Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA Inc. executives including - NICK PEGLEY, Vice President of Solutions and Services Business Development; STACEY SUJEEBUN, Marketing Communications Director, Global Workplace Hub Group and North America; GLENN MATHIS, Vice President Global Client Services and Solutions, All Covered; MATT WALTON, Chief Design Officer Adaptive & Artificial Intelligence Technology, Oracle

 

How do large and small organizations adapt to constantly changing work environments? How do they leverage emerging technologies to pursue new business opportunities? Join executives from the tech giant Konica Minolta and other innovative leaders to go behind the scenes of the organizational transformations taking hold of every industry—and how you can get ahead of it.

Featuring: KATE GREEN,Director of Strategy and Business Development, Viasat; MARIYA STOYANOVA, Head of Product Development, JetBlue; ANDREW KLEIN, Senior Vice President, AEG Global Partnerships

 

The race to make free high-speed internet access a global standard is heating up with the launch of a new generation of satellites. And the impact will be far-reaching: Consumers will enjoy streaming media wherever they are; brands will maintain bonds with device-hopping customers on the move; providers will unlock connectivity (and markets) for the 3 billion people around the world who are currently off-line. Join a conversation that addresses how big companies can bring connectivity anywhere with Kate Green, director of strategy and business development at the global communications giant Viasat, as well as leading executives from airlines, like JetBlue, and today’s top streaming media powerhouses.

Featuring: JOHN MAEDA, Global Head of Computational Design and Inclusion, Automattic; JULIE SMOLYANSKY, CEO, Lifeway Foods; KARIN FONG, Director, Imaginary Forces

Fast Company’s Most Creative People—celebrating its 10th year in 2018—is filled with inspiring individuals from senators to creative directors, activists to poets, CEOs, yoga instructors, and rappers. Join Fast Company’s own KC Ifeanyi in a conversation with panelists from the community of nearly 2,000 Most Creative People as they delve into creative opportunities, challenges, and what it means to be a maker right now.

Featuring: CANDY BARONE, CEO You Empowered Strong, LLC; TIFFANY CHEN, President and Co-Founder of Tiff’s Treats; JASON BALLARD, President and Co-Founder TreeHouse

Inventor. Salesperson. Marketer. Accountant. Delivery person. Coffee fetcher. The job of an early-stage entrepreneur requires doing everything, and it can be hard to let go. Join executive coach Candy Barone and a panel of all-star entrepreneurs sharing the secrets and hard-won lessons that allowed them to get help—and unlock growth.

3:00-3:30 PM 

Featuring: STEVE DORVAL, President and Head of Innovation and Advice, John Hancock; JASON DORSEY, President and Cofounder, Center for Generational Kinetics; GUY KAWASAKI, Chief Evangelist, Canva; ERIN LOWRY, Author and Founder, Broke Millennial

Featuring: TIM ALLEN, Global Design Partner, Microsoft and SANEEL RADIA, EVP & Global Head of Consulting, R/GA; CASSIDY BLACKWELL, Director of Public Affairs & Strategic Projects, Airbnb
Moderated by: VLADIMIR DUTHIERS, Correspondent, CBS News

Bold, visionary ideas are leading the way toward better lives, companies, and environments. Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas highlights the best projects and ideas each year that are helping to make the world a better place. In this conversation—moderated by CBS News’ Vlad Duthiers—honorees from the most recent WCI Awards will share their visions for how their organizations are accomplishing “better” for everyone.

PRESENTED BY MERCK
Featuring: ADAM SCHECHTER, President of Global Human Health, Merck; DR. RASU SHRESTHA, Chief Innovation Officer, UPMC and Executive Vice President, UPMC Enterprises

 

Technology is poised to dramatically change our understanding and care for the human body over the next decade. Advances in genetic mapping, telemedicine, and AI-driven disease prevention will alter diagnosis, treatment, health maintenance and delivery in profound ways. Merck recently partnered with Fast Company to ask readers about the role of technology in innovating in health care compared to other industries. Join Adam Schechter, president of global human health at Merck, and other leading business experts for a fascinating discussion about the coming impact of emerging technologies.

Featuring: BROOKLYN DECKER, Model/Actress and Cofounder, Finery & WHITNEY CASEY, Cofounder and CEO, Finery
Moderated by: KC IFEANYI Fast Company

Sure, female-led startup Finery syncs with your email to find shopping receipts; it creates a virtual closet; it even finds items you didn’t buy online, sending you notifications when they go on sale. But what it really does it put retail data in the hands of its users so they can better understand how to style their own wardrobes, avoid buying redundant items, and get cash back when prices drop. Cofounded by former CNN anchor Whitney Casey and model-actress Brooklyn Decker, Finery has closed a seed round from the likes of Jesse Draper and Farfetch for a simple reason—its stylish use of A.I. In this Fast Talk session, find out how the pair built a startup that seamlessly marries tech and couture for a refined experience—and how you can, too.

PRESENTED BY SALESFORCE.ORG
Featuring: ROB ACKER, CEO, Salesforce.org; RAVI GURUMURTHY, Chief Innovation Officer, Internal Rescue Committee; TYLER RADFORD, Executive Director, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team

From drones that deliver vaccines in rural Malawi to crowd-sourced digital maps that improve disaster recovery in Ecuador and Afghanistan, technology is making nonprofits faster, smarter, and more effective. Join Salesforce.org CEO Rob Acker and executives from other leading nonprofits as they explore tech’s impact and challenges in global crises.

Featuring: OONIE CHASE, Executive Creative Director, Frog; DAVID ROSENBERG, Head of Business Development, GIPHY; MARK ROLSTON, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Argodesign

 

For more than a decade, Fast Company has been highlighting the most innovative intersections of business and design in its annual Innovation By Design issue—and its Innovation By Design Awards have recognized the best design from around the globe for nearly as long. Join honorees of the most recent awards as they share secrets for how any business can embrace design for more success and impact in every industry.

Featuring: JOE GALVIN, Chief Research Officer, Vistage; RANDY WATSON, President & CEO, BullDog Solutions; MEGAN WOODBURN, President Strategic Association Management; NICK ZADROZNY, Founder & CEO of One More Cloud Inc.

 

With unemployment at historic lows and business conditions ripe, it’s no wonder that more than 1,000 small-business CEOs ranked talent as their top decision in a recent survey by Vistage Research. In fact, 71 percent expect to increase their staff this year. That means competition for talent is fierce, and employee retention is critical. Join Joe Galvin, Vistage’s chief research officer, as he shares the latest data on effective talent strategies, and hear three CEOs of high-growth companies dissect their winning approaches.